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Despite legal victories over patent infringement cases in 2013, Jacksonville’s ParkerVision Inc. is still struggling to make a profit as the company reported a loss for the first quarter of trading in 2014.

ParkerVision officials this week announced they had a net loss of $5.8 million for the first quarter, or a loss of about 6 cents per share. Company officials nevertheless focused on the fact that the loss isn’t as bad as a year ago when the company reported a $6.5 million net loss in the first quarter of 2013 and the latest figure is a $2.1 million decrease in losses from the fourth quarter of trading in 2013.

Cindy Poehlman, Chief Financial Officer for ParkerVision, said the company still has cash flow.

“We ended this quarter with $25.3 million in cash and available-for-sale securities. This includes $11.9 million in net proceeds from the private placement of 2.7 million shares of our common stock in March,” Poehlman said in a transcript of discussions regarding the ParkerVision financial statements Monday.

ParkerVision officials are focusing heavily on cash flow and any positives following a protracted legal battle with Qualcomm that ParkerVision officials had cited as a main source of financial setbacks for years.

ParkerVision was awarded $173 million after a jury in the U.S. Middle District Court of Florida in Orlando agreed in October with company officials that Qualcomm had infringed on ParkerVision patents for wireless communication technology. ParkerVision was seeking $500 million in damages.

The lower financial award to ParkerVision sent the company’s stock tumbling Oct. 24 after peaking around $7 and then bottoming out below $3 per share.

Since that ruling, ParkerVision has filed yet another suit against Qualcomm.

In a May 2 announcement from ParkerVision, company officials accuse Qualcomm and HTC of infringing seven of its patents. Whereas ParkerVision’s original suit focused on Qualcomm’s alleged infringement of cellular receivers and similar technology, the new suit accuses the mobile chip giant of infringing on transmitters and mobile systems.

ParkerVision President Jeff Parker said, “Although the technologies in this new case were distinctly different from those in our first case, our motivation is to develop these innovations and the drivers behind the adoption of these technologies we believe to be similar. …”

Some of the patents in question in the new lawsuit date back to mobile devices and technology introduced in 2006, Parker said.

Drew Dixon: (904) 359-4098

Jacksonville's ParkerVision announces net loss for Q1 in 2014, launches new suit against Qualcomm- By